Link between deprivation and violence 'putting pressure on health services' » Housing » 24dash.com

Children from the poorest areas are five times more likely to suffer a violent assault needing an emergency hospital admission than those from the richest areas, a report revealed today.

The strong link between deprivation and violence is adding to pressure on health services, the report's authors said.

The Centre for Public Health in Liverpool and the North West Public Health Observatory looked at emergency hospital admissions in England between April 1 2002 and March 31 2006.

The report, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found violence is far more likely to affect young males living in deprived areas.

Senior author Professor Mark Bellis said those under the age of 15 were already victims of their environment.

He called for early intervention measures to prevent abusive children turning into violent adults and said health services could play a key role in the prevention of future offending.

Prof Bellis said: "The first thing to note is that the link between deprivation and violence is established so early on.

"We know violence works in cycles. People who are exposed to violence in youth are much more likely to be perpetrators of violence and victims of violence later on in life."

Across all age groups, those from deprived areas were at even more of a disadvantage to their privileged peers, with six times as many emergency hospital admissions amongst the poorest groups compared to the richest.

And emergency hospital admissions are also rising.

The researchers found that between 2002 and 2006 the number of children who were taken to hospital after an assault rose by a fifth, or a quarter in the most deprived areas.

And in the 15 to 44 age group emergency hospital admissions after assaults were up 30%.

Prof Bellis said early interventions were needed to break the cycle of violence, targeting factors such as environment, poor parenting and negative peer pressure.

"We need to help people understand that there are ways of out of a situation other than violence," he said.

"We need to stop those sorts of individuals developing in the first place."

Prof Bellis said public health services could use "relatively unexploited opportunities" to help identify and target those communities most in need of help.

Data from health services not only incorporates younger victims of violent crime, it also takes into account violence not reported to police.

And the information on assaults is available at a very local level.

Risk communities could be targeted using local health services which are already in place.

"Service can and should provide an early immunisation against the development of violent behaviour, just as we seek to protect against childhood diseases," the report said.

Prof Bellis said violence must be recognised as a "public health issue", not just a judicial issue, and the two agencies should work together in the gathering of data and development of strategies to combat violence.

About 30,000 people are admitted to hospitals in England as an emergency because of violence every year.

The researchers found admissions were much more likely on a Saturday or Sunday, which they put down to the use of alcohol and nightlife.

Rates of emergency admissions varied from region to region, with the North West almost three times higher than the East.

In 2005/06, 19.047 youngsters aged 14 and under per 100,000 population were taken to hospital after an assault - up from 15.657 in 2002/03.

In the most deprived areas it rose from 29.196 children per 100,000 population to 36.202, compared to a rise from 5.329 to 6.374 in the most affluent areas.

For the 15-44 age group, the figure of 101.363 per 100,000 population in 2002/03 rose to 130.856 in 2005/06.

In response to the report a Home Office spokesman said: "We have already pledged that by 2011, we will have further reduced serious violent crime, including gun and gang-related violence, knife crime, sexual and domestic violence and improved the criminal justice response to these offences."

Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve countered: "This is yet further damning evidence of our broken society under Labour, as the Government fails to address both crime and the causes of crime."